A described adapter device provides both remote control and a graphical user interface on a television or other secondary viewable screen for accessing, controlling, and browsing the contents of a device that does not have built in remote control or television user interface capabilities. The attached second device could be, for example, a portable digital media player such as an Apple iPod® or the like.
Using the Apple iPod® as an example (but understanding that the principles described are broadly applicable to portable media player devices in general), the iPod® has a serial communications interface on a connector located on the bottom of the device. This communications interface can receive input commands for actions such as play/pause, left, up, select, etc. The communications interface can also send text information that mimics the information displayed on the iPod® LCD. This interface is provided to allow external devices to control playback of media stored within the iPod®. For example, automobile manufacturers may offer integration kits that use the serial protocol to connect steering wheel or dashboard buttons to the iPod® and to also display iPod® player and browsing interface text on a secondary dash mounted display.
It is also known to offer add-on IR remote controls that can be used to control an iPod® from a distance, often in combination with a docking station which facilitates connecting the analog music outputs of the iPod® to a conventional stereo receiver, etc.
The market for accessories for portable media player devices is very large. In this arena, the iPod® portable media player is currently the number one portable media player at the time of writing and will thus be used by way example in the detailed descriptions that follow. It will nevertheless be understood and appreciated that the principles expressed herein are broadly applicable to any media player device in general which is capable of receiving control information and outputting information related to media being played on the device.
As noted, there are several existing accessories that allow an iPod® to be connected to a home stereo system, but they add nothing to the functionality of the device and are basically just cables or passive docks for cable management. There are also remote control devices, but they only offer basic playback control, no browsing of the content stored within the iPod® is possible.
There is thus no product in the market that connects an iPod® to a TV or other display screen for the purpose of rendering the text serial interface data on a TV screen such that it is readable from a distance. The iPod® Photo model connects to a TV for photo display, but not for browsing with a remote. There are also no products in the market today that provide both an enhancement of the iPod® display as well as a wireless remote control.
Accordingly, a need exists for an adapter device which allows a user to remotely access, browse, and control a portable media player using an IR remote and a television or other display screen.